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The "Wills" and the "Will Nots"


OZoner

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This is something I've been thinking about for a while, and because it seems to be a story right now, I thought I'd see what you all think. It's pretty clear there are different priorities in the conference. There are schools raising money and spending it, schools that would like to spend money but can't get it (EMU), schools that probably could raise money but aren't willing to increase the budget (Miami), and schools that are content with where they are- if they win, great, if not, oh well (Ball State).

There are only a handful of schools that WANT to spend more money, are willing to do what it takes, and have the ability to do so. These are the schools that, long-term, are set up best for success. And I'm talking not just one sport but at least football and basketball. I think Rob Murphy is a fine coach who will make the Eagles better, but when he leaves, they're back to square one. I think Northern is a very good football program but not as committed to basketball.

Consequently, I think it's important to identify the schools that are making the effort and backing it up. I'm not speaking directly in terms of wins and losses. It's really just about money. And I'm not talking about kicking schools out or trying to move to The Alliance or whatever. I just think it's advantageous to know who your peers are, who has conflicting interests, and act accordingly.

Right now, I think there are four schools in the MAC that are doing the right things money-wise: Akron, Buffalo, Ohio, and Toledo. What do you think?

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I can't argue with that list of Akron,, Buffalo, Ohio, and Toledo.

That even sounds like a solid core of northeasterly a conference. But it takes at least 5 schools who have played together in order to split away. Who would the fifth one be? WMU tries but just can never get anything going. Would they do better if they left the MAC schools that surround them behind?

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That even sounds like a solid core of northeasterly a conference. But it takes at least 5 schools who have played together in order to split away. Who would the fifth one be? WMU tries but just can never get anything going. Would they do better if they left the MAC schools that surround them behind?

Again, I'm not advocating a split. It could just be something as simple as banding together and demanding some changes from the other members.

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Again, I'm not advocating a split. It could just be something as simple as banding together and demanding some changes from the other members.

I understand, but it's hard to demand changes when you're outnumbered. Eventually if you can't do anything you have to break away to be able to do things right. Wait too long for the unwilling to change and you'll fall behind with them.

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Right now, I think there are four schools in the MAC that are doing the right things money-wise: Akron, Buffalo, Ohio, and Toledo. What do you think?

For Akron, Buffalo and Toledo, my guess is that it's a matter of location in relatively large population centers where reasonably and consistently successful programs in football and basketball should be able to be profitable enterprises, or, at the minimum, be able to operate somewhere close to the black. Ohio, even though it's fairly isolated, has always had the ability to draw decent numbers of fans when its winning.

For most MAC schools, it's reasonable to assume that they don't see a whole lot of upside in committing too many resources to athletic programs that they probably can never operate at anything other than a loss.

That said, Akron has invested probably more than anybody else in football with a gorgeous field house for indoor practice/training and a sparkling new stadium, yet, to date, we have pretty close to zero to show for it. Will Bowden & Co., turn the ship around and finally justify the investment? I'm an always optimistic fan, but only time will tell.

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